think about the many groups of which you are a part. Your

family, your class, and your community are different kinds of

groups, and you are a member of each one. You are also a

member--or citizen--of your town or city, your state, and your

country Citizens work to improve the many groups to which

they belong and to make their world a better place.

To help you think, feel, and act as a citizen, Harcourt Brace Social

Studies begins every lesson with a question. That question

connects the lesson to one or more of five themes, or key topics,

of social studies. Citizens need to understand these themes in

order to make decisions. Each question also links you to the

lesson s story, helping you see how the story relates to your own

life. The lesson helps you learn about being a citizen by letting

you see how people from many places and times have thought,

felt, and acted. Each lesson will help you organize your thinking

around one or more of the following five themes of social studies.